(CBS4 News) MIAMI Royal Caribbean has announced many people on its February 26-March 5 sailing of Explorer of the Seas are sick with a gastrointestinal illness. In fact, a few hundred who weren't allowed to disembark at one port are being offered discounts on future cruises.

The cruise line reports 243 of the ship's 3,252 guests and 19 of its 1,184 crew members experienced the illness, which is thought to be a Norovirus brought onboard by a guest previously exposed to it. Royal Caribbean says those affected by the short-lived illness responded well to treatment administered onboard the ship.

Also, the company has taken steps to control and eradicate the illness' transmission. Some of these stepped-up procedures include:
• Implementing a three-stage illness prevention program. The program's action plan outlines specific, heightened sanitation procedures for crew members, from the captain to housekeepers.
• Implementing enhanced cleaning procedures and protocols, as recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• Using special cleaning products and disinfectants to clean all over the ships.
• Conducting special cleaning of all "high-touch" areas on the ship, like countertops, restroom and vanity surfaces, door handles, railings and grab bars, exercise equipment, TV remote controls, light switches, elevator buttons, and computer keyboards.
• Royal Caribbean also will have two additional physicians onboard (for a total of four) for the next Explorer of the Seas sailing, scheduled to begin March 5.

On Friday, Explorer of the Seas made its scheduled port call at Georgetown, Cayman Island. In an attempt to prevent any further spreading of the illness, Cayman Island health authorities mandated that any guests who were ill or had experienced symptoms of the illness at any time during the sailing remain on the ship. That mandate also applied to affected guests' close contacts.

All guests who were isolated due to the illness received a 50 percent credit for a future Royal Caribbean cruise. Explorer of the Seas sailed from Miami on Sunday, February 26, and made ports of call in Belize City, Belize, on Tuesday; Costa Maya, Mexico, on Wednesday; Cozumel, Mexico, on Thursday; and Georgetown, Cayman Islands, on Friday. The ship returns to Miami on Sunday, as scheduled.

(CBS4 News) MIAMI Royal Caribbean has announced many people on its February 26-March 5 sailing of Explorer of the Seas are sick with a gastrointestinal illness. In fact, a few hundred who weren't allowed to disembark at one port are being offered discounts on future cruises.

The cruise line reports 243 of the ship's 3,252 guests and 19 of its 1,184 crew members experienced the illness, which is thought to be a Norovirus brought onboard by a guest previously exposed to it. Royal Caribbean says those affected by the short-lived illness responded well to treatment administered onboard the ship.

Also, the company has taken steps to control and eradicate the illness' transmission. Some of these stepped-up procedures include:
• Implementing a three-stage illness prevention program. The program's action plan outlines specific, heightened sanitation procedures for crew members, from the captain to housekeepers.
• Implementing enhanced cleaning procedures and protocols, as recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• Using special cleaning products and disinfectants to clean all over the ships.
• Conducting special cleaning of all "high-touch" areas on the ship, like countertops, restroom and vanity surfaces, door handles, railings and grab bars, exercise equipment, TV remote controls, light switches, elevator buttons, and computer keyboards.
• Royal Caribbean also will have two additional physicians onboard (for a total of four) for the next Explorer of the Seas sailing, scheduled to begin March 5.

On Friday, Explorer of the Seas made its scheduled port call at Georgetown, Cayman Island. In an attempt to prevent any further spreading of the illness, Cayman Island health authorities mandated that any guests who were ill or had experienced symptoms of the illness at any time during the sailing remain on the ship. That mandate also applied to affected guests' close contacts.

All guests who were isolated due to the illness received a 50 percent credit for a future Royal Caribbean cruise. Explorer of the Seas sailed from Miami on Sunday, February 26, and made ports of call in Belize City, Belize, on Tuesday; Costa Maya, Mexico, on Wednesday; Cozumel, Mexico, on Thursday; and Georgetown, Cayman Islands, on Friday. The ship returns to Miami on Sunday, as scheduled.

Just the typical outbreak. You would be surprised it happens, although less on the main American lines than it use to, because of cleaning and quarantining. Here is a link with the outbreaks just this year so far:http://www.cruisejunkie.com/outbreaks2006.html